Several people in Pennsylvania were charged with allegedly stealing a total of $287,000 worth of welfare benefits in April, with some of the benefits being used to buy heroin, according to Pennsylvania’s Office of the Inspector General.

A 33-year-old convicted cocaine dealer collecting a monthly SSI handout used his state EBT welfare card to rent a bank safety-deposit box in which police have found $560,050 in cash – the latest in a series of busts in New England involving massive welfare fraud, often committed by drug dealers or recent immigrants.

Gov. Charlie Baker said it is crucial for the state “to be aggressive” in tracking down welfare fraud after a Worcester convenience store owner was accused of operating a $3.6 million food stamp fraud scheme.